Manchester United fans were feeling shattered when Lisandro Martinez was taken off the pitch by a stretcher against Sevilla on Thursday night.
The former Ajax defender has been among the team’s top players since joining the Red Devils for £55 million in the summer.
However, Martinez’s injury in the first leg of the Europa League quarterfinal means that Erik ten Hag will likely be without Martinez for at least the next match.
The Argentine collapsed in agony while dribbling the ball just before Sevilla began their late comeback from being 2-0 down to draw 2-2, leaving the Red Devils with 10 men in the closing moments and leaving the tie evenly matched ahead of a tantalising second leg in southern Spain on next Thursday.
Things only got worse for United when Raphael Varane joined Lisandro Martinez on the sidelines.
After the game, Ten Hag provided an update on Martinez’s potential recovery time and discussed how the United locker room handled the injury.
As reported by the Mirror, the Dutch manager said:
“I think he will not play on Sunday [away to Nottingham Forest], it looks like that but I can’t say what the diagnosis is and I prefer to wait and then we are clear and know exactly what it is.”
“I have spoken to him and he’s okay, he’s calm. We are competing in three competitions so you need a squad. If Licha and [Raphael] Varane are not available on Sunday then others have to do it. We have seen Harry Maguire play a good game on Saturday and tonight also he played a really good game.”
Martinez’s extended absence isn’t causing United to panic or make them sweat, which speaks volumes about the kind of culture Ten Hag has been able to instil in the red side of Manchester.
Since Martinez is out, it seems practical that the infamous Maguire will step in and fill in at least for the Sunday afternoon trip to Nottingham Forest.
United still have nine league games to play and with the Champions League spot on the line, the fans will be concerned about Maguire and his ability to play well in the upcoming matches.
There doesn’t seem to be any panic in the face of Martinez’s injury because Ten Hag appears to have the support of every player on his team. This is crucial for a Red Devils team that is still vying for the FA Cup, the Europa League, and a top-four finish.
